Over 29,000 IDPs resettled within 38 days

by Dhaneshi YATAWARA

Around 29,354 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have been resettled
within 38 days under the 'Uthuru Wasanthaya' (Northern Spring) 180-day
program, a spokesperson for the Presidential Task Force on Northern
Development said.

This includes 9,994 people who were resettled yesterday in Jaffna,
Ampara, Trincomalee and Batticaloa around 19,360 people were resettled
earlier at different stages, especially in the Mannar, Jaffna and
Vavuniya districts. Seventy-four undergraduates of the Jaffna University
were among those who were resettled on Friday.According to officials the
expedited 180-day development program under the 'Uthuru Wasanthaya'
carried out under the direction of the Chairman of the Task Force Senior
Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa MP., concludes on January 31, 2010.

So far, 7,334 elders over 60 years had been handed over to relatives
of their choice. Seven-hundred and fifty-one orphaned children have
either returned to the families of the next-of-kin or to welfare homes
specially set up for them.

Five Catholic priests and 170 Hindu priests were allowed to return to
their areas with their families. Thus, 370 people have returned to their
homes with these religious leaders.